SMP welcomes expansion of Royal Mail incentives and predicted delivery
The Strategic Mailing Partnership, the body which represents mailing and printing houses across the UK, has welcomed the extension of a highly regarded Royal Mail incentive until June 2022.
Originally launched as part of the wholesale 2021 incentives in September last year, the Mailmark Economy Advertising Mail Incentive allows customers to effectively sell more to their target audience by sending incremental Advertising Mail and Partially Addressed Mail volume, offering up to a generous 30% discount off the Access Mailmark Economy rates.
The incentive has successfully generated circa 35m incremental advertising mailing items since its launch and customers will now be able to send in applications until 10 June, with the posting window ending on 25 June.
The mail and print professional body has also welcomed a key update to the Predicted Delivery service, with dates being added to Mailmark Direct Data reports for all Wholesale and Retail Mailmark services. The innovative service will provide customers with the expected date for the letter to be delivered.
This metric is an estimate that is based on the service declared, the handover date, the date and time the item was first seen, and the date and time the item receives its final and last sort before delivery.
When first introduced in June 2021, Predicted Delivery dates were available for the Wholesale Economy service, which has now been extended to all Mailmark services, including Wholesale Standard, Economy and Retail Sorted and Unsorted 1st class, 2nd class and economy.
Colin Banks, Board Member of the SMP, said: “We are pleased with the extension of Royal Mail’s Economy Advertising Mail Incentive. This enables printers and mailing houses to reach their target audience effectively and helps their customers to achieve a greater value from their investment in mail. It has been very well received since being introduced so this is a logical step forward.”
“It’s great to see the expansion of Predicted Delivery as well. This service has proved useful and the fact it has now been implemented across all Mailmark services will allow everyone across the industry to reap the benefits, allowing customers to get estimated timescales for the delivery of mail and will have a positive impact on customer experience across the sector.”
For more information about the SMP, visit www.thestrategicmailingpartnership.co.uk.
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About the Strategic Mailing Partnership
The Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP) is a professional body that represents and protects the interests of mailing houses across the UK.
Supported by Royal Mail, the SMP exists to raise standards in the mailing industry and promote better mail for all – from the senders and receivers, but more importantly, the manufacturers and mailing agents operating behind the scenes.
It was first established in 2008 to represent and protect the interests of mailing houses across the UK. It is chaired by Lucy Swanston, Managing Direct of Nutshell Creative and Topic Heroes Charity.
The SMP is the largest group in the UK of mail and print suppliers and service providers. Its members – known as ‘The Mailmakers’ – belong to the only known specialist supply chain network in post in Europe.
The SMP is currently made up of over 150-member Mailing Houses across the UK.
Latest news, membership sign-up and the SMP’s history is available on its website by visiting: www.thestrategicmailingpartnership.co.uk
For more information about the SMP, please email: info@thestrategicmailingpartnership.co.uk
